Not Emacs vs Plain Org
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Not Emacs
A programmer's text editor that mimics common Emacs keybindings and supports iCloud document syncing across devices. It offers syntax highlighting for several languages and is optimized for external keyboards, with an extended virtual keyboard as a backup.
- Emacs keybinding support
- iCloud document editing
- Syntax highlighting (Lisp, Scheme, JS, CSS, XML)
- External Bluetooth keyboard optimization
- Extended virtual keyboard
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Not Emacs is a text editor for programmers that supports many of the most common emacs keybindings. It allows editing iCloud documents that are automatically available from other devices. The app has been designed to be used with an external Bluetooth keyboard, but if you forgot it at home, it is still possible to get by with the extended virtual keyboard. This app is based on the ymacs editor (http://www.ymacs.org) and the Gambit Scheme programming system (http://gambitscheme.org). It has syntax highlighting for the following languages: Lisp, Scheme, JavaScript, CSS and XML.
Plain Org
Manage your org mode tasks and notes on the go. This app offers a rich editing experience with support for various markup features, filtering, and cloud syncing. It allows for outline-style editing, task management, and customization of display modes.
- Rendered org markup
- Filter by keyword, tag, priority
- Cloud file syncing
- Outline-style editing
- Interactive checkboxes
- Light/dark mode
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View and edit your org mode tasks while on the go. Org is a wonderfully rich markup language, so **please check** if your favorite feature is supported below (or check https://plainorg.com/#faq): - Beautifully rendered org markup. - Filter by keyword, tag, and priority. - High fidelity org roundtripping. - Sync your org files using your favorite cloud provider. - Control your display between regular and compact mode. - Toggle visibility for scheduling, tags, and stars. - Toggle recurring tasks. - Log state transitions. - Optimize wrapping using paragraph fill. - Regroup your tasks so active ones bubble up. - Create new files. - Outline-style editing with toolbar - Keywords - Indent - Priority - Tags - Formatting: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, verbatim, and code. - Open files via the iOS Files app using its "Share" menu. - Add links from Safari via share extension. - Add new tasks via Spotlight. - Reorder headings via drag/drop. - Checkboxes - Interactive toggling. - Quickly reset multiple checkboxes. - Open local links (including id links). - Render latex src blocks (experimental). - Render LOGBOOK. - Show inline images. - Show property drawers. - File-local keywords and visibility. - Filter open/closed tasks. - Edit raw text. - Light/dark mode. - Open either .org or .txt files. - Quickly switch between open file and recently open (tap on title). NOTE: Cloud syncing support varies across providers. Please check for compatibility https://plainorg.com/#cloud-providers
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Not Emacs at Free against Plain Org's $14.99. Not Emacs also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (6.1 vs 14.0). Plain Org's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (86% vs 50%). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Not Emacs is free to download; Plain Org costs $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Plain Org holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plain Org has 156 ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Not Emacs's written reviews are positive against 86% of Plain Org's.
Not Emacs ships an update every 2 weeks, Plain Org every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Not Emacs | Plain Org |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $14.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (21 ratings) | 4.7 (156 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 21 | 156 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 6.1 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marc Feeley | Xenodium Ltd. |
Customer experience
Not Emacs
Plain Org
Bugs and requests
Not Emacs
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Plain Org
Reported bugs
11 issues- Text disappears when closing keyboard without saving
- Copy and paste doesn't work reliably
- Pasting from external sources fails
- Roam links fail to resolve
- 'What's New' dialog won't close when opening files via shortcuts
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- Sync hiccups requiring app restart
- File editing impossible on recent iOS versions
- Keyboard features missing in raw text editing mode
- Headings always start collapsed
- App automatically adds logbook entries to todos
- App auto-inserts 'Plain Org' text in new files
Requested features
17 requests- Widget support for home screen
- Agenda view across multiple files
- Apple Watch support
- Tag filtering and display
- Schedule/deadline date picker button
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- Clock-in/clock-out time tracking
- Template system for new files
- Keyboard shortcuts for iPad
- Refile functionality
- Todo state support
- Color support for text and headers
- Dropbox sync integration
- Animations when opening subheadings
- Settings screen (instead of context menus)
- Fullscreen mode for iPhone
- Table formulas and calculations
- Attached files viewer
In-app purchases
Not Emacs
No in-app purchases
Plain Org
No in-app purchases
